in the first instance

prep_phrase

in the first instance

prep_phrase

1

As the first step or stage; first.

Work on the muskeg resulted in the formation in the first instance, and later in lengths of newly-laid track disappearing without trace into the treacherous bog.1959 March 23, “New Railways in Quebec”, in Railway Magazine, page 202:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.